Commercialization of swine farming has led to issues involving treatment of the swine waste. Specifically, swine are typically enclosed at a farm site in a relatively dense population. Waste is removed from the site by washing waste that has accumulated within channels cut into the farm site floor. The waste and water mixture is then collected at a downstream site and is deposited into a lagoon or sprayed onto a field as fertilizer.
The lagoon acts as a bio-reactive system that treats the waste through the reaction of bio-reactive material and enzymes. Nitrogen and other material levels must be carefully monitored in the lagoon and in any waste that is sprayed on a field as a fertilizer. Swine waste is inherently high in nitrogen content and some plants are unable to properly process the high-nitrogen level, so further processing may be required of waste before it can be applied as a fertilizer.
The use and placement of waste lagoons has been problematic in recent years. As residential and commercial establishments have begun to encroach on lagoons, residents and consumers have complained about the odors associated with lagoons. Furthermore, in situations of extreme and significant rainfall, lagoons have overfilled and overrun into the surrounding landscape. This has resulted in damage to existing crop structures, soil, water, and sewer systems of the surrounding landscape. These problems have been further exacerbated by legislation restricting the building of new swine lagoons. This has caused swine farmers to determine new manners of maximizing the capacity of already-built swine lagoons.
A need therefore exists for a method or solution that addresses these disadvantages.